Sheffield, Bard suspended

Posted: Sunday, June 03, 2007

The Associated Press

NEW YORK - Detroit Tigers designated hitter Gary Sheffield and San Diego catcher Josh Bard, a Texas Tech product, were suspended for three games each by the commissioner's office Friday for confrontations with umpires the previous night.

Both players filed appeals, meaning they cannot be penalized until after hearings and decisions on the appeals.

Sheffield was penalized for "aggressive actions directed at umpire Greg Gibson" at Cleveland, according to Bob Watson, baseball's vice president for discipline.

Gibson ejected Sheffield in the fifth inning after the slugger argued a strike call, then broke his bat on a groundout and threw away the piece of wood still in his hands.

Sheffield denied throwing the bat handle at Gibson.

"If I want to throw a bat at an umpire, I'll turn around and throw it at him," Sheffield told The Detroit News.

"The only thing I had in my hand was a little piece of the handle and I threw it towards our dugout, anyway.

"When I threw the bat down, I was letting him know I was (angry), but that's it, and then I was going to go to the dugout. Then he said something to me, telling me not to throw the bat like that.

"I said, 'Last time I checked, I paid for the bat, I can throw it any way I want. How should I throw it?'

"At the point, he said, 'You're outta here.' That's when it boiled over. That's when I told him what I think of him as a person and as an umpire."

Sheffield suggested to the Detroit Free Press that he would expose a "conspiracy" within the game if he is not cleared of wrongdoing."